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The Relationship Between Confidence and Performance Throughout A
The Relationship Between Confidence and Performance Throughout A
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All Graduate Plan B and other Reports Graduate Studies, School of
4-1-2013
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Skinner, Benjiman R., "The Relationship Between Confidence and Performance Throughout a Competitive Season" (2013). All
Graduate Plan B and other Reports. Paper 285.
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The Relationship Between Confidence and Performance
Throughout a Competitive Season
by
Benjiman R. Skinner
of
MASTER OF SCIENCE
in
from
Approved:
______________________ ___________________
Richard D. Gordin, Ed.D. John M. Kras, Ed.D.
Major Professor Committee Member
______________________
Hilda A. Fronske, Ed.D
Committee Member
Abstract
The importance of understanding how confidence varies across time has been encouraged
by sport confidence researchers (Vealey & Chase, 2008). The purpose of this study was
competitive season. Two levels of confidence consistent to team sports were analyzed.
Team and coach confidence were collected through the Collective Efficacy Questionnaire
for Sport (CEQS) and Coaching Efficacy Scale (CES) respectively. Two teams, women’s
soccer and volleyball (n=48) from a college in the western United States, completed their
specific questionnaires five times throughout the season. The CEQS measured collective
efficacy (team confidence) and the CES measured coaching efficacy (coach confidence)
for each team. Simple linear regressions were used to determine the relationship team
confidence and coaching confidence had on the success of each team. Pearson’s
correlation coefficients were taken to determine if team and coach confidence were
connected throughout the season. Volleyball was statistically significant for both team
and coach confidence at p = 0.033 and p = 0.040 respectively, with a .68 correlation
coefficient. Conversely, the soccer team was not statistically significant for both team and
coach confidence at p = 0.53 and p = 0.93 for each. There was, however, a strong
correlation coefficient at .89 for the two levels. The findings suggest that team and coach
confidence may be related and associated with the success of the team. The results also
hint, through the correlation coefficients, that team and coach confidence may be
connected.
Confidence and Performance Across Season 3
Introduction
Confidence is a quality found in many aspects of society. Therefore, confidence
isn’t a stranger to sport, when it can be associated with qualities like mental toughness,
poise, grit, belief, courage, and heart. These qualities are descriptive verbs that are
constantly used when describing someone who is successful. Recent research has shown
that success has affected the level of confidence and confidence can affect success
(Covassin & Pero, 2004; Hays, Maynard, Thomas, & Bawden, 2007; Hays, Thomas,
Maynard, & Bawden, 2009). Elite athletes have revealed that confidence affects their
performance through their thoughts, behaviors, and feelings (Hays et al. 2009). Levy,
Nicholls, and Polman (2010) found that subjective performance and confidence were
The world of sport recognizes the importance that confidence has on success
(Vealey & Chase, 2008). Athletes are constantly evaluated on the level of confidence
they have in their abilities to perform. Coaches, fans, and media constantly discuss
confidence when talking about the ability to win. Confidence can affect performance
when our efficacy expectation is strong and our abilities are clearly developed (Bandura,
1977). Self-confidence is a term known to more than sport, influencing Vealey (1986) to
Trait/State Distinction
Confidence has been described in two categories, trait and state. Trait-confidence
can be defined as a dispositional feeling about being able to perform a task, whereas
state-confidence refers to a more “in the moment” belief about being able to perform the
task (Vealey, 1986). Understanding the two main concepts can play a crucial role in
Confidence and Performance Across Season 4
understanding where a person’s confidence level is at and how to help them achieve a
higher level of confidence. Vealey (1986) took this idea and developed the trait-
conceptualizing sport-confidence, namely the Trait Sport Confidence Inventory and State
Researchers were critical of the inventories, citing that SC-trait only predicts SC-
state and thereby renders it ineffective (LeUnes, p. 168). These criticisms lead Vealey to
develop the Sport-Confidence Inventory (SCI) (Vealey & Knight, 2002; LeUnes, p. 168).
Other inventories have been developed as well to help strengthen the research in sport-
Competitive Orientation Inventory (COI) (Manzo, Silva III, & Mink, 2001; Vealey
1986).
Sources of Sport-Confidence
Confidence has been researched from these and other assessments to help identify
how confidence plays a role in the success in sport. Understanding where confidence
plays a role in sport starts with the recognition of how confidence is developed in sport.
A variety of research shows that there are sources of confidence that help establish and
strengthen the confidence level of a person (Bandura, 1977; Hays, Maynard, Thomas, &
Bawden, 2007; Vealey, Hayashi, Garner-Holman, & Giacobbi, 1998; Wilson, Sullivan,
Bandura (1977) established that there were four sources of efficacy (confidence):
states. Vealey et al. (1998) added onto Bandura by establishing the Sources of Sport
Confidence Questionnaire (SSCQ) and found nine sources of confidence: mastery, social
presentation. Wilson et al. (2004) found that a confirmatory factor analysis failed to find
the same 9-factor structure found by the SSCQ, but rather an 8-factor minus the
situational favorableness as well as fewer items. More recent research has been
Thomas (2010) examined how the sources of sport-confidence can affect elite athletes
athlete’s confidence derives from before competition is essential for development of the
athlete’s confidence.
Resilient Confidence
Confidence for an athlete has been previously thought to be high and stable in
change in either will elicit a change in the other, for good or bad. This concept has been
Confidence and Performance Across Season 6
suggest that upward spirals might not always be beneficial; citing that success will
typically occur after an athlete has been faced with failure and learns from it. Bandura
and Jourden (1991) found that consistent success leads to complacency and eventually
overconfidence.
Many situations can cause an athlete, team or coaching staff to stumble in their
confidence. Different obstacles, like choking in sport, may lower their self-confidence
level, being one of four results as described by the athletes. This, unfortunately, can be a
vicious cycle because the athletes revealed that because their confidence was lowered,
they expected to fail more (Hill, Hanton, Matthews, & Fleming, 2009). Failure can
actually help athletes and teams by keeping them focused on development and
preparation, but if athletes lack the ability to overcome setbacks or failures, then their
confidence and performance could drop. Galli and Vealey (2008) found five “general
dimensions” that can be used as a model to help athletes and teams develop the resilient
characteristic needed in order to use the failures as strengths. The general dimensions
were breadth and duration, agitation, personal resources, sociocultural influences, and
positive outcomes.
Vealey et al. (2008) discuss the idea that confidence might need to fluctuate in
order for athletes to have consistent success. For an athlete to have continued success
their focus should be on where they failed thus leaded to success in the future. When an
athlete focuses on where they failed during a success, it can keep their confidence from
needed to weather the obstacles and problems that can arise in sport. Elite athletes
(Jones, Bray, Mace, MacRae, & Stockbridge 2002; Bull, Shamrock, James, & Brooks
2005, Vealey et al. 2008) Having a level of confidence high enough for athletes to rise
over obstacles but low enough that they understand that work can be done to better
qualitative analysis, with a small focus group and individual interviews of elite athletes,
that in order to have a “robust” sport-confidence level, the athlete(s) need to have “A set
of enduring, yet malleable positive beliefs that protect against the ongoing psychological
and environmental challenges associated with competitive sport.” Emphasis was placed
on a “set” of positive beliefs and not just one factor (Thomas, Lane, & Kingston, 2011).
Understanding the need for steady, strong, and modest confidence, Vealey et al. (2008)
Confidence Layers
development of confidence for an athlete, team, coach and the whole organization
(Vealey p. 43-44). Jong, Ruyter, and Wetzels (2006) researched a potential link between
employee confidence and performance and found that there was a statistically significant
Confidence and Performance Across Season 8
essential to know how different pieces of confidence affects the overall success of a team
The purpose of this study was to examine confidence across a competitive season
and investigate how it was connected to the performance of the teams throughout the
season and if the team and coach confidence aspects are correlated. Analysis of the
coaches’ confidence, and teams’ confidence levels was examined throughout the season.
Examining the team and coach aspects of confidence across a season could indicate
whether each could be associated to the other aspect of confidence, as well as their
Methods
Participants
western part of the United States and 7 coaches from two teams. The participants
included a sample of (N =3) men and (N = 45) women. The three men sampled are
coaches from the two teams. The other 4 coaches and 41 athletes are women. Of the
athletes sampled, (n = 27) were from the women’s soccer team, their age was between 18
and 21 years (19.1 +/- 1.0 years) and their average time on the team was 2.1 years (SD
+/- 1.1 years). The other athletes, (n = 14) were from the women’s volleyball team with
their age between 18 and 21 years (19.6 +/- 1.2 years) and their average time on the team
Confidence and Performance Across Season 9
was 2.5 years (SD +/- 1.0 years). Of the coaches sampled, (n = 4) from the soccer team,
their age was between 22 and 40 years (30.8 +/- 8.6 years) and their average time on the
team was 3.8 years (SD +/- 4.3 years). The other coaches, (n = 3) were from the
volleyball team with their age between 30 and 45 years (36.3 +/- 7.8 years) and their
average time on the team was 4.8 years (SD +/- 2.9 years). The ethnicity of the two teams
was fairly similar. Overall, 44 where Caucasian, 2 were Pacific Islanders, 1 was Asian-
American and 1 was African-American. Two athletes, one from each team, started the
study and participated in the “pre” data collection, but were no longer with the team
before the ¼ data collection. There answers were excluded from the analysis.
Instrumentation
General Questionnaire. The general questionnaire was designed for this study.
This questionnaire was a 4-item self-report measure intending to receive the demographic
information needed to complete the study. The four items inquired about demographic
information (i.e. age, gender, ethnicity, year in school [year coaching at school]). It was
administered only the first time during the preseason assessment for descriptive purposes.
Collective Efficacy Questionnaire for Sports. Short, Sullivan, and Feltz (2005),
efficacy. This inventory is a 20-item self-report measure using an 10-point Likert scale, 0
“Not at All Confident” and 9 “Extremely Confident.” To make up the 20 items, the
CEQS has 5 factors in which it measures collective efficacy; Ability (a = 0.92), Effort (a
were made to the instructions of the questionnaire, in this study, by explaining that the
Confidence and Performance Across Season 10
as all upcoming games or competitions to compensate for only collecting at the quarter
points in the season. Each athlete can score from 0 to 180, which is the sum of all
subscales. To get a quantitative number as to the team’s collective efficacy, the mean of
the sum of all subscales for each athlete represented their collective efficacy.
Coaching Efficacy Scale. To understand the level of efficacy that a coach has,
Feltz, Chase, Moritz, and Sullivan (1999) developed the model known as the Coaching
Efficacy Scale (a = 0.95). A 24-item scale derived from 4 factors suggested for a coach to
calculating the mean of the sum of all subscales for all coaches.
obtaining the win/loss percentage of each team will be required for the evaluation. Each
time data is collected; the teams’ “current overall” win/loss percentage will be acquired.
The final win/loss percentage will be obtained at the end with the last evaluation as well.
To determine if the team is successful, the wins divided by the games played will be done
to achieve a percentage score of the teams’ success or failure. Anything above 50%
Procedures
After the Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, all participants signed
voluntary informed written consent forms. To start the data collection, before the first
game/competition of the season, the athletes were administered the Collective Efficacy
Questionnaire for Sports (CEQS). The coaches were administered the Coaching Efficacy
Confidence and Performance Across Season 11
Scale (CES) as well. The respective questionnaires were given throughout the season.
The administration of the questionnaires was determined by the time between games or
competitions. Each sport has different schedules and so the administering of the
questionnaires was consistent between all sports. To accomplish this task, the
questionnaires were given 5 times, throughout the season, for all sports (preseason, ¼
through season, ½ through season, ¾ through season, and at season’s end). The
questionnaires were not administered closer than 1 or 2 full days before competition to
protect the team and the athletes from being uneasy before the upcoming game or
Data Analysis
The two factors (team & coach confidence) were analyzed to quantify the teams’
collective efficacy (confidence) from the CEQS, and the coaches’ confidence from the
CES. The third factor (success or failure) was compared to the first two factors through a
simple linear regression analysis of team and coach confidence to each team respectively.
To identify if there was a relationship between the two independent variables (team and
coach confidence), the data was analyzed through a Pearson’s correlation coefficient to
determine the relationship of the team and coach confidence throughout the season.
Cronbach alphas were calculated to determine the internal consistency of each data set.
Results
Previous to analyzing the data, Cronbach alphas were calculated to determine the
internal consistency of the answers of all questionnaires from both the CEQS and CES
for each data collection. An average of a = 0.97 (Volleyball) and a = 0.93 (Soccer) for the
teams and an average of a = 0.98 (Volleyball) and a = 0.96 (Soccer) for the coach was
Confidence and Performance Across Season 12
found from all five total Cronbach’s alphas computed (See Table 1).
First, in processing the data for the dependent variable win/loss, the “pre” data point was
taken from the end of the previous season. Analysis found that the volleyball team was
significant at p = 0.033 for the team and p = 0.040 for the coach with a moderate
Pearson’s correlation coefficient of r = 0.680. However, the soccer team was not
significant with p = 0.530 for the team and p = 0.935 for the coach, but did have a
Second, in processing the data for the dependent variable, the “pre” data was taken as a
zero, since that is how all season’s win/loss columns start. This second step was only
analyzed to assess both viewpoints, however, the first method was the primary approach.
Analysis found that the volleyball team was not significant at p = 0.066 for the team, but
was significant for the coach at p = 0.010. The soccer team was not significant for both
with p = 0.087 for the team and p = 0.059 for the coach.
Discussion
We examined the relationship that confidence has with performance throughout a
season and collected team confidence (collective efficacy) and coach confidence five
times throughout the season to determine if there was a significant relationship between
the confidence levels and success of the teams. Previous research has demonstrated that
confidence and performance has been related, however very little research has been done
longitudinal format. Vealey and Chase (2008) suggest research in confidence across time
Our hypothesis was that there would be a significant relationship between confidence and
performance as well as a strong correlation between the two variables, team and coach
confidence. Our examination of the data found that there is some evidence that a
period of time. In addition, a strong link was found between team confidence and coach
confidence, strengthening the hypothesis that team and coach confidence are connected.
Support was found for a connection between confidence and performance across
time (See Figure 1) with a graph showing similar movement of team confidence growing
with success and falling with failure (all figures have both factors changed to percentage
in order to compare to performance score). The figure also shows the slopes, which
represent the average rate of change from the “pre” to “final” time points. The slope
serves as a vector estimating what the analysis found when it indicated that volleyball
(team and coach) was statistically significant. The raw data, however, shows all three
factors spike from pre to quarter points, but after that each individually drop, rise or stay
constant. The only other real match is the three-quarter to final data point where they all
stay fairly consistent from the three-quarter to final collections. The slopes of each line
show a more consistent similar movement, which might indicate why the factors were
statistically significant. These vectors are evidence that could begin to help understand
In Figure 2, we see that even though there wasn’t a significant linear relationship,
the raw data shows some noteworthy associations. A linear relationship seems evident
from the “pre” to “quarter” phase both are rising and then a sudden drop in confidence as
Confidence and Performance Across Season 14
their success plunges. After the drop, the soccer team goes on a winning streak through
the rest of the regular season and we see a constant rise in success and therefore a rise in
confidence. However, the confidence in the coaching staff conflicts with the team. They
have a sharp rise from pre to quarter, but no drop during their tough mid-season fall, and
team and coach confidence. Figure 2 shows that team confidence has a fairly similar
linear line to coach confidence, explaining why they were found to be significant and
have a high Pearson’s correlation coefficient. The slope on each factor in figure 2
illuminates the reality of this link. Although the raw data does look different between the
team and coach confidence measurements, the slope vectors show a clear relationship
between team confidence and coach confidence. Figure 1 shows team and coach
confidence as a moderate but not significant relationship. The slopes shown indicate the
linear relationships are not quite even as team confidence grows at a sharper angle more
than coach confidence. Both are still climbing which shows why they look similar
enough to have a moderate correlation, but Figure 2’s factors have a strong indication of
In breaking down the team and coach confidence scores (See Figures 3-6) to their
individual subscales, we were able to identify how each specific subscale was answered
and what, if any, outliers were present. Figures 3 and 4 each show a strong group of
consistent responses that are quite uniform with the others; however, figure 3 also
demonstrates that they match the win percentage strongly. Overall, between the two
Confidence and Performance Across Season 15
teams, this might point toward each team being honest and aware of their confidence
levels as a team throughout the season. Figures 5 and 6 illustrate, however, a more
inconsistent set of answers between the subscales. Both are spread at the “pre” point in
the season, but all do climb higher and closer by the “final” data collection. This could
indicate inconsistent levels of confidence at the beginning of the season, but by the end of
the season a stronger set of confidence between the coaching staff had developed.
preparation to complete this study, the football team was originally sought to participate.
They could never be reached and had to be removed from the plans. This was a critical
change to the study since the initial plan was to evaluate how gender might play a roll in
confidence. Another limitation was the limited time and ability to work with the teams.
Only being able to measure there confidence levels at quarter points in the season left
gaps in the season, making the data take a more general role then the specific one desired.
Finally, the study was done purely as a quantitative approach, looking at the relationships
Some suggestions for future research would be to gather teams that will allow for
both genders to be part of the study. A study could also be done by having the teams
complete the questionnaires before every game, within reason, thereby giving a stronger
indication of exactly where the team and coach confidence levels are for each game as
well as produces more data points for the quantitative analysis. Implementation of a
mixed methods approach might also gain valuable insights as to what factors might be
Confidence and Performance Across Season 16
Conclusion
In summary, the present study aimed to understand how confidence was related to
performance throughout the course of an entire season. Evidence was established that
CEQS, CES and winning percentage. Additionally, support was found for the hypothesis
that there is a correlation between team and coach confidence. These findings support
the notion that it is important for teams to understand how confidence is connected to
performance and for researchers to continue to study confidence across time in sports.
Confidence and Performance Across Season 17
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Confidence and Performance Across Season 20
Appendix A
Confidence and Performance Across Season 21
Figure 1
Figure 2
Confidence and Performance Across Season 22
Figure 3
Figure 4
Confidence and Performance Across Season 23
Figure 5
Figure 6